Better Than Flying
by Cmdr. Gen. Marasco
Summary: Pointless Deryn/Alek fluff.   It's snowing in Glasgow, and Deryn decided to relive some of the feelings she lost when she left the Leviathan. Of course, even the best plans go awry when you've got a bored Clanker watching...


Better Than Flying

A Deryn/Alek Christmas Fic

Snow was falling on Glasgow.

Snow wasn't an unusual occurrence. It usually came during this time, the tail end of December, as the days grew shorter and colder. But now it was snowing a particular way. Not the kind that was so hard it was practically ice and could skin you alive. Nor the half-melted goop that soaked _everything_ you wore no matter how well you bundled yourself. Or even the light wispy stuff that evaporated before it touched your skin.

No, this was the kind of snow that was a median point between all of those, hard enough that you felt it on your skin but soft enough that it melted soon after contact. What some called "Christmas snow", a fitting title for it considering it's first appearance this year as literally the day before Christmas eve; December 23, 1915.

It was exactly the kind of snow Deryn Sharp had been waiting for.

When she looked out the window of the little cabin Dr. Barlow had been nice enough to rent for them to hide in while London was bombed by Germans and saw the flakes, she donned her cold weather gear as quickly as she could and hurried out. She left the scarf she usually wore over her face behind, though. She wouldn't be needing it for what she had planned.

Deryn jogged quickly through the ankle high drifts that had formed by the door and out into the quiet whiteness of the cabin's front yard. Her breath streamed out behind her like a veil, wrapping around her left ear as it passed across her shoulder.

"Perfect," she whispered to herself, more so she could watch her words curl from her mouth as smoke than any actual necessity. "Absolutely barking perfect."

She came to a halt in the dead center of the yard. There was nothing around her but snow and a couple scraggly trees a couple yards to her right. Just what she wanted.

Deryn paused, closed her eyes, and leaned her head back. She waited, neck arched, for what felt like an eternity.

Then, something soft; a snowflake brushing against her cheek. Deryn waited a few more seconds, then opened her eyes.

She was greeted by the sight of a thousand white dots flowing down from the sky towards her. Had her eyes been open when she first looked up, it wouldn't have meant anything. But with her eyes closed, she'd tricked her attic into thinking she was still looking forwards. Just as she planned.

Her stomach lurched in that way she loved so much, like when the _Leviathan_ changed altitude rapidly or she rode a Huxley. The snowflakes chilled her skin, like the wind on the spine at full speed.

It felt like she was flying again.

Deryn's breath caught in her chest and she held it, afraid that it would break the illusion. But finally she couldn't hold it any longer and she exhaled, a cloud of white shattering her feeling of motion. She collapsed into the snow, slightly dissented but exceedingly happy.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Deryn practically jumped to her feet as a male voice broke the white blandness. Her heart jumped into her throat and formed a hard ball there when she realized who it was.

"Barking spiders, Alek!" She muttered, feeling slightly cross. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Alek was walking across the yard, bundled up in his own Clanker gear. Even from here, she could see the clart-snarfing grin on his face.

"Maybe." He chuckled. Ever since they'd left the Leviathan, he'd been acting more like a normal boy instead of a prince. Deryn didn't mind the change one bit.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked. "You'll catch a cold if you aren't careful."

"Hah!" Deryn barked, gaining her own grin. "That's a old Clanker wives tale! Colds come from wee beasties in the air, remember?"

"Hmm." Alek muttered. He came to a stop beside Deryn and offered her his hand. "Need some help."

"Aye." Deryn gratefully took his hand, and he pulled her up. "And as for what I'm doing out here..."

She glanced up once more into the swirling snow. Her mouth opened, but all that came out was a sigh.

"You were trying to fly." Alek answered for her. He gently slipped his hand into hers and pulled her close.

"Aye." Deryn replied again. She sighed.

"Perhaps I can help." Alek whispered. Before Deryn could ask what he meant, he boldly grabbed her by the waist, picked her up, and spun her around, turning a pit in the snow as he did.

Deryn threw her head back and laughed; she couldn't stop herself. Wind tugged at her hair and numbed her skin. This was even better than what she'd tried!

Alek joined her, and they laughed in sync until Alek, disoriented by the spinning, lost his balance and fell. Deryn crashed on top of him, and both laughed once more.

Somehow, their lips met. They melted into each other, passionate despite the fact they could barely feel their own faces.

Alek kept his hand clenched tight in Deryn's and place it between them, right over his heart. Eventually, they broke apart, gasping for air.

Silence once again filled the front yard. Still more snow fell, beginning the long job of filling in the holes that the two had carved in the white expanse.

It began to cover the two lovers as well, and inside her coat Deryn shivered. She pulled herself closer to Alek, seeking his warmth.

"Barking spiders its cold out here." She muttered. Alek chuckled in response, then shivered as well.

"You don't say..." He answered.

"You want to continue this inside?"

"If you don't mind, Mr. Sharp. Over some tea, perhaps?"

Deryn laughed again at the title that had become Alek's pet name for her. She pulled herself away from him and rose to her feet, helping the boy to his own as he'd helped her earlier.

"That would be lovely."

Alek gripped her hand again and together they hurried back into the cabin, huge smiles on their faces.

Behind them, more snow fell, slowly burying any sign they had ever been outside.


End file.
